Time for Sterne to stake a claim

[caption id="attachment_71571" align="alignright" width="228"] TIME TO SHINE: Richard Sterne is lining up a good showing at the Africa Open this weekPicture: GALLO IMAGES -[/caption]

Africa Open this week offers chance to regroup

RICHARD Sterne heads to East London for this week’s Africa Open needing to get something going, and he knows it. In a sense, his two rounds of level par on the weekend of last week’s Joburg Open also reflected the sense that Sterne feels a bit stuck at the moment.

He has missed six cuts on the PGA Tour. His focus is still on making a breakthrough there, but he is in South Africa looking for inspiration.

“I need to find my game again and there is no better place than here to start,” Sterne said.

He has targeted the Africa Open, which tees off at the East London Golf Club today, as one of the steps in this process. He will also be teeing it up in the Tshwane Open at Pretoria Country Club thereafter.

Sterne loves the classic East London Golf Club layout, and in 2009 came close to this title when he shot a brilliant 61 in the third round. But a closing 73 ended his challenge as Retief Goosen took the win.

Sterne always walks a very fine line between being off his game and playing sublime golf.

He is never very far away from being brilliant again.

“If I’m hitting it well I feel like I can do just about anything with the golf ball.

“But the problem is it’s been a while since I’ve had that feeling. It’s starting to come right though.

“The ball is starting on line again.

“I feel like I’m getting back on track with the way I’m hitting it.”

But Sterne is at that point in his season where he needs a break.